How do rescue dogs work in a rubble field? How do emergency services get into destroyed areas? And how are trapped people rescued after a natural disaster? Around 1,200 schoolchildren received answers to these questions at the Disaster Prevention Day in Neuenburg am Rhein.
Organised by the German Red Cross, children and young people from various schools in the region were able to experience first-hand how aid organisations work together in the event of a disaster. The realistic scenario simulated a severe flood disaster in combination with an earthquake. Trapped people had to be searched for, injured people rescued and paths created through destroyed areas.
The height rescue team and the rescue dogs from ISAR Germany were also present. Together with the THW Müllheim, the THW Freiburg and the Bad Krozingen fire brigade, an impressive emergency scenario was created that gave the children a practical understanding of the work involved in civil defence.
At the start of the exercise, the rescue dogs were tasked with tracking down missing persons in an area of rubble that was difficult to access. It quickly became clear that direct access to the scene was blocked. The THW Müllheim crane was therefore used to manoeuvre both the rescue dogs and the emergency services safely into the area of operation. This provided a realistic demonstration of how helpers and dogs are transported by helicopter to hard-to-reach areas in real disaster zones and dropped off there.
Once the missing persons had been located, the actual rescue work began. Trapped people were freed from the rubble, given medical treatment and then taken out of the damaged area with the help of the „simulated helicopter“.
For the ISAR Germany emergency services, the day was not only an exciting exercise, but above all a valuable opportunity to familiarise young people with the work of international civil protection. At the same time, it became clear how important teamwork, modern technology and sound training are in an emergency.